July 2006

Click here for all of our coverage of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

DISPATCHES FROM AMERICA
Air war, barbarity and the Middle East
No matter how good the intelligence or smart the bomb (neither of which can be counted on), civilians die in profusion whenever war descends from the heavens, as is happening in Lebanon. Yet, air power has been removed from the ranks of the barbaric, making it, if not glorious, then completely humdrum. - Tom Engelhardt (Jul 31, '06)

US war costs continue to shoot up
Iraq war costs average about US$6 billion a month, $1 billion in Afghanistan - 15 times the US Homeland Security Department budget this year. Even these figures are low because of accounting methodology. And this does not take into account the costs of replacing rapidly wearing equipment and caring for injured soldiers. - David Isenberg (Jul 31, '06)

The US: It's too late for empire
For all its wealth and dreams of military domination over the past half-century, the US has misunderstood the nature of power and so has become "the fool of history". Its story is not one of success followed by crisis, but of a deep failure; nor is it a tale of a successful empire now in crisis, but of a failed empire, now in disarray. Redemption could lie in learning the limitations on the use of force. - Jonathan Schell (Jul 27, '06)

PART 2
China and India in World War III
Pakistan will likely trigger World War III - after a coup and a nuclear weapon going missing in the wake of US attacks on Iran. India, with its large Muslim population, would stay out of it while the West would turn to China. But the West would likely have to go it alone. And the outcome would be a weakening of both the West and Islamic power over the following 20 years. This is the concluding article in a two-part report. - Chan Akya (Jul 25, '06)

Korean crisis takes a turn for the worse
Relations between North and South Korea took a hit after Pyongyang test-fired missiles. Seoul plays down the launches for fear of jeopardizing joint economic projects. Adding to that is the changing relationship between the US and South Korean militaries on the peninsula. But the Americans believe North Korea has amply demonstrated the threat its poses to its neighbor - the South is preparing counter-missile defense. - Donald Kirk (Jul 24, '06)

India playing politics with terrorism
India's Congress-led coalition repealed the Prevention of Terrorism Act when it came to power. The deadly bombings in Mumbai this month have led many, especially in the opposition parties, to demand that it be revived. Opponents of the move say it wasn't that useful and, anyway, India has plenty of tools to suppress terrorists, if only it chose to use them.
- Sudha Ramachandran (Jul 21, '06)

It's not just about Hezbollah
Both Washington and Tel Aviv argue that the fighting between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah must have the support and blessing of Iran. Certainly Tehran is exploiting the conflict, but credible intelligence proving this was an Iranian trap is yet to surface. Rather, Israel's sustained military campaign seeks to signal to its neighbors to abandon any adventurous ideas that the US difficulties in Iraq may have given them. - Trita Parsi (Jul 19, '06)

US backing the Sunni camp
The willingness of Sunni-led Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt to criticize Hezbollah - as well as the Bush administration's eagerness to extol these three countries - may reflect growing concerns regarding the emergence of an Iranian-led "Shi'ite crescent" across the Middle East. - Jim Lobe (Jul 19, '06)

 Hezbollah's transformation by Dahr Jamail

IRAQ: SIGNS OF WITHDRAWAL
The Bush administration denounces anyone (especially the Democrats) who calls for a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq as playing into the hands of  terrorists. Yet, writes Gareth Porter, evidence suggests that President George W Bush has agreed to an eventual peace agreement with the insurgents involving withdrawal if that is necessary to avoid a disaster in Iraq. Meanwhile, Michael T Klare, accused of being a defeatist, argues that he is "defeatist" when it comes to US imperial expansion, but hawkish regarding terrorism and saving American lives. (Jul 19, '06)

 US plays a double game 
- Gareth Porter

 A proud imperial defeatist
- Michael T Klare

THE ROVING EYE
Leviathan run amok
Israel's tactic of trying to turn the Lebanese as a whole against Hezbollah seems to be doomed. Hezbollah is betting that Lebanon will be able to absorb the extreme limits of collective punishment it is receiving - and the resistance movement will come out stronger than ever. - Pepe Escobar (Jul 18, '06)

US hawks smell blood
Neo-conservatives and their right-wing supporters vociferously depict the conflict as part of a global struggle pitting Israel against Islamist extremism organized and directed by Iran and its junior partner, Syria. - Jim Lobe (Jul 18, '06)

Taliban pause for fresh breath
The Taliban in Afghanistan are capitalizing on events in the Middle East to whip up popular support. A severe drought in the volatile southwest of the country adds to the general mood of discontent against the Kabul government and occupying forces. After a brief lull, the Taliban promise a renewed storm. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Jul 18, '06)

Soft response to Mumbai bombings
So far, New Delhi has responded cautiously to the deadly train bombings in Mumbai. It has suspended foreign-secretary-level talks with Pakistan but not canceled them. Some are beginning to criticize this soft approach, but New Delhi remembers that a show of force over previous outrages didn't solve anything permanently. - Sudha Ramachandran (Jul 18, '06)

Hezbollah and the art of the possible
As has been famously written, "politics is the art of the possible". Israel's terms for a ceasefire with Hezbollah, therefore, which include the disarming of Hezbollah (it's not going to happen), will have to be amended if Jerusalem is interested in ending the hostilities. In the meantime, Hezbollah continues to draw strength from the Israeli attacks. - Sami Moubayed (Jul 17, '06)

SPENGLER
The Gumps of August
US policy has turned to dust and ashes, and President George W Bush resembles the slow-witted Everyman traipsing oblivious through great events in Forrest Gump - but without the lucky streak of that 1994 film's protagonist. The proposition that democracy could thrive in Lebanon under current circumstances is just one US self-delusion coming to disastrous fruition. And a US attack on Iran is the inevitable consequence. (Jul 17, '06)

COMMENT
Israel's path to total war
As the tide of war intensifies, it is increasingly obvious that Israel's hidden objective is to inflict such mortal wounds on the weak nation of Lebanon as to bring it to its knees and thus take a giant step toward its grandiose objective of a Pax Israelica. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi (Jul 17, '06)

It's war by any other name
Neither Khaled Meshal of Hamas nor Hassan Nasrallah (pictured) of Hezbollah is interested in peace with Israel. Both leaders are unimpressed by Arab regimes that call for dialogue. They are thus being aggressive with Israel so Israel can respond with similar aggression - killing whatever dreams Arab peacemakers have in mind. The same formula applies inside Israel, where many do not want room for moderation in Israeli-Arab relations. - Sami Moubayed (Jul 14, '06)

COMMENT
The danger of an unequal struggle
Asymmetric war involving the US in Iraq and Afghanistan is heading for an unmitigated disaster. A similar war - where one side has overwhelming military superiority - between Israel and the Arabs (Palestinians and Lebanese) is another disaster in the making. - Ehsan Ahrari (Jul 14, '06)

Tremors rock Syria
People in Syria, which has a long and tangled relationship with Lebanon, fear that a regional war could spread to their country if the clashes involving Israel, Lebanon and Palestine do not ease soon. - Dahr Jamail (Jul 14, '06)

Mumbai attacks: A new spiral of violence
The people of Mumbai helped each other across communal lines following the devastating bomb attacks on the city's railway network on Tuesday that claimed the lives of nearly 200 people. Given the city's history of bloody Hindu-Muslim riots, though, sectarian unrest cannot be ruled out, which in turn will spur the flow of recruits to Muslim extremist outfits dedicated to undermining the Indian state. - Sudha Ramachandran (Jul 12, '06)


Merchants of death in Iraq
They came in US military helicopters - "big men with long hair and beards, some wearing earrings, and others with little black caps on the top of their heads". Their target was a student in Fallujah. He was killed in the raid on his house. Just another day in Iraq. - Dahr Jamail and Ali Fadhil (Jul 12, '06)

US stays the course on detainees
The Bush administration says its decision to accord Geneva Convention rights to detainees held by the US military at Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere is not a policy reversal. Which is exactly why critics are worried that it's all a public relations exercise and that it will be business as usual for suspects held in the "war on terror". - Jim Lobe (Jul 12, '06)

Taliban in search of a winning formula
In the three months of their spring offensive, the Taliban have changed tactics several times, indicating that all is not going as well as planned, or trumpeted. A leading Taliban commander, however, in talks with Syed Saleem Shahzad, dismisses the notion, claiming optimistically that the latest switch in operations, in which US air bases will be targeted, will pave the way for ultimate victory. The US has other ideas. (Jul 11, '06)

SPEAKING FREELY
The two faces of militant Islam
The US and Russia are savoring victories in the "war on terror" with the killings of key al-Qaeda and Chechen militants. Though the two groups have similarities, they employ their own unique brands of terrorism. To ignore this reality will lead to protracted civil conflict in Iraq, and the failed state of Chechnya within the sovereign boundaries of a nuclear superpower. - Christopher Swift (Jul 11, '06)

SPENGLER
Cry havoc, and let slip the puppies of war
Iran's power rests on its ability to threaten destabilization, especially in Iraq, and Tehran is counting on this to keep the Bush administration at bay over its nuclear program. The old dogs in Tehran will (even if they could) do nothing to satisfy the deeply felt and long-frustrated aspirations of their pups in Baghdad's Sadr City. Escalation of tensions is inevitable. (Jul 10, '06)

Afghanistan reels under bumper harvests
Washington has spent US$1.3 billion on reconstruction projects in Afghanistan over the past four years and will remain the country's largest benefactor, but anti-Americanism continues to percolate at a grassroots level, aided by a resurgent Taliban. And despite a $1 billion eradication campaign, this year will see the largest-ever opium crop. - Jason Motlagh (Jul 10, '06)

Iraqi journalist dies in the crossfire
Inter Press Service contributor Alaa Hassan was killed in Baghdad on his way to work last Wednesday. His sidekick, Aaron Glantz, tells Hassan's story. (Jul 6, '06)

Same old bloody ball game in Iraq
Like nearly everyone else in the world, Iraqis just wanted to watch the soccer World Cup this weekend. But some had other ideas, and scores of people were blown to bits in Baghdad's predominantly Shi'ite Sadr City. It was a sign that Osama bin Laden, who reportedly had been critical of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's bloody anti-Shi'ite campaign and was expected to call a halt to the sectarian killings, was going to play by the same old rules. - Sami Moubayed (Jul 3, '06)

June 2006